[Insert page header here] 1 Running head: [Insert Running Header here] CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROGRAMS in TURKEY: A CONTENT ANALYSIS

[Insert page header here] 2 According to the mission statements of most of the firms, the mutual development of the business and society is one of the most important aims. Because of the perception of businesses as the engine of the growth and the responsible party of the utilization of the societies ’ surplus value, society expects a return from these businesses. Mostly in developed economies corporate social responsibility (CSR) has an important role in growth and sustainability. In practice it is also becoming a popular concept, even in the emerging economies. The aim of this research is to gain an understanding on the CSR programs for the last 3 years in Turkey. In order to distinguish the main characteristics of CSR projects a content analysis is applied to a Corporate Social Responsibility platform web site, which is open to all businesses, NGO’s and institutions to announce and share their CSR projects for free since 2006. The content analysis covers different variables that can be grouped in four main dimensions. “Concept of the project ” is the first dimension. In this dimension, the scope, aim and the expected value creation of the CSR projects are evaluated. “Administrative dimension”, include